Philadelphia

A 1993 film starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. I had seen it when I was younger but it didn't have any real effect on me, I didn't know what was going on. I watched it again just last year upon the insistence of a friend. I cried, I had never really thought about things like that in such depth.

The movie is about a gay man with the AIDS virus, in a time when it was simply unacceptable to be gay, and the virus was often misunderstood entirely. He is fired from his job in a prominant law office after the firm figures out that he is homosexual, and has AIDS. He decides to sue them for wrongful termination. Tom Hanks pulls off an amazing, brilliant, heart-wrenching performance, and Denzel Washington follows closely behind.

This film was a sort of awakening for me.. there are a few scenes that provoked emotions far beyond words. There is a point where Andy is walking down the street and sees his reflection in a window, after being turned down by lawyer after lawyer who wanted nothing to do with him. "Streets of Philadelphia" is playing in the background..

Today's crazy person of note is now only a warm fuzzy memory. I was a freshman then; specifically, I was SarahTheGoodCatholicFarmGirl. I was pining for cows and pickup trucks and scared shitless of the public transportation system.

One day I found myself, after various Comedic Misfortunes, walking home from 30th Street Station well after midnight. The crazies were out in force. I got the whistles, the winks, the leers. I shuffled down into my coat and stared at the ground, scowling and trying to look unattractive (realizing even as I did so that this was neither very difficult nor especially necessary).

One crazy was particularly perseverant. He was oldish, blackish, and completely toothless, smelling of earwax and gin. He winks. "Hey sweetie! You lookin' for a suga daddy? I sex you up, I treat you real good, pretty girl." I walk faster. "Hey, what? You don't believe me? You don't want what I got? You goin' regret it, I promise you. I got it all, baby, you wanna see, I show you." He grabs my arm. I turn. He's grinning toothlessly, pointing at the empty expanse in his face, making sure I notice, although what the appeal must be I cannot guess. And he says, still smiling, licking his lips and morbid gums:

It took twelve years for a film which addresses the horror story of the AIDS
epidemic to
get produced. In its day the film was part education, driving home its message
with unvarnished emotion, and part entertainment by way of psychological and
courtroom drama. To the modern, enlightened viewer, this film is a macabre
fictional but oh-so-accurate account of the exquisite physical and mental
suffering of an early-AIDS-era victim and the vortex of
discrimination and hopelessness he's sucked into. No matter what time period one lives/lived in,
the thought of dying a painful, protracted death; broke and isolated (not unlike
lepers of yore) is terrifying. Terrifying to a degree that no monster
nor villain of a screenwriter's imagination can match.

The Gay Pride movement had begun moving along at a fast pace and acceptance of
gays was at an all-time high by the late 1970s. By the early 1980s, all of the
progress made since the Stonewall Riots seemed to have been set back by the
initial focus on gay men as the propagators of AIDS. The enlightened seemed to
have second thoughts. Worse, the "I told you so" mindset of the homophobe
was reaffirmed. "Philadelphia" addresses the public's fear of the unknown; of
homosexuality; rekindled by a disease spread by the physiology of homosexual
sexual practices (and now we know, also spread by numerous means which are not
homosexual by nature at all).

The following trial transcript is part of a larger portion taken from the
movie by the Law School at the University of Indiana. It demonstrates the core
of the plot of the movie:

35) Q. Are you a homosexual?

A. What?

36) Q. Are you a homosexual? Answer the question. Are you a homo? Are you a
faggot? You know, a punk, a queen, pillow-biter, fairy, booty-snatcher,
rump-roaster? Are you gay?

DEFENSE. Objection! Where did this come from? Suddenly counsel's attacking
his own witness? Mr. Collins' sexual orientation has nothing to do with this
case!

JUDGE. Please have a seat, Ms. Conine. Would you approach the bench, Mr.
Miller? Would you kindly share with me exactly what's going on inside your head?
Because at this moment I don't have a clue.

PLAINTIFF. Your Honor, everybody in this courtroom is thinking about sexual
orientation, you know, sexual preference, whatever you want to call it. Who does
what to whom and how they do it. I mean, they're looking at Andrew Beckett,
they're thinking about it. They're looking at Mr. Wheeler, Ms. Conine, even you,
your Honor. They're wondering about it. Trust me, I know that they are looking
at me and thinking about it. So let's just get it out in the open, let's get it
out of the closet. Because this case is not just about AIDS, is it? So let's
talk about what this case is really all about, the general public's hatred, our
loathing, our fear of homosexuals, and how that climate of hatred and fear
translated into the firing of this particular homosexual, my client, Andrew
Beckett.

The attorney utilizing this dramatic tactic was, until he met his client,
Andrew Beckett, a bona fidehomophobe. In fact, despite being
black and therefore no doubt having been the subject of racism of some sort
or another at some point in his life, attorney Miller (Denzel Washington) was
quite narrow-minded about sexual diversity before taking Beckett's case.

Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) was a promising young lawyer, in fact, a Senior
Associate, at a prestigious Philadelphia firm. He'd
consistently attracted the attention of the partners in the firm by
demonstrating his ability to win difficult cases and produce excellent work
product.

Beckett is also gay. He's got a lover with whom he shares a gorgeous
apartment, plenty of friends, and is happy with his life. He enjoys opera. Beckett's mother (played brilliantly by
Joanne Woodward) is aware of his sexuality and accepting of it. She does her
best to hide the devastation she feels her son's terminal diagnosis. He's failed,
however, to have revealed his sexuality nor his health situation to his
employers, and with good reason.

Beckett discovers, over time, that there's a culture of discrimination within
the firm. This is not unusual in law firms run by a cadre of old-boy
network types who're disturbed at anything unusual which disturbs the status
quo of their staid, conservative lives. Beckett's horrified to discover
he's diagnosed with AIDS, and even more horrified when the ugly lesions
resulting from AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma appear on his face and body. Little
does he know, the very partners in the firm who were once grooming him for a
spot as partner are now repulsed, and decide they must rid their pristine world
of the pox (literally) that Beckett represents.

An important plot twist occurs when Beckett must produce a very important
filing in a high-profile case. He completes his work and goes home. The morning
the paperwork is due in court, it's nowhere to be found. This confounds both
Beckett and his assistants, who look high and low for it. The papers show up in
the nick of time in a very unlikely place.

Shortly after the incident mentioned in the above paragraph, Beckett is
fired without fanfare by one of the firm's partners. He's given no severance.
He's certain that the disappearance of the papers was an planned act which the
firm perpetrated to justify his firing. Although weakened and wasted by his
disease, he decides to sue for having been unfairly
terminated.

Beckett sets out to find a lawyer who'll take his case. His quest among his former colleagues (as well as fine attorneys whom he'd
previously argued against in court) fails, leaving him disillusioned and
discouraged. One by one they give weak excuses why they can't take the
case. It becomes obvious to the viewer that they're as fearful and confounded by
the new, mysterious disease (associated at that time exclusively with male
homosexuals) as were his former colleagues. They're also fearful of running
afoul of his former employers — some of the most powerful lawyers in the city. For a while, he decides to try the
case himself; during one of his research sessions, he meets Joe Miller, a
low-level attorney best described as an ambulance chaser.

Miller never thought he'd defend a case like this. However, the plot dictates
that Beckett's case be fought so the screenwriter writes a sudden and
overwhelming epiphany for actor Washington's character, and the battle
royale ensues.

A Modern View of "Philadelphia" as a Historical Milestone

This review will not reveal any more of the plot. What is necessary is to
revisit the movie with an historical outlook. The New York Times had
rather negative things to say about the movie. The reviewer for the Times
said that there were unnecessary holes in the plot, that certain characters were
not completely fleshed out, and that the courtroom scenes had a "soapbox" feel
to them. Well, why the hell not? At the time the movie came out, AIDS was still
a disease that was fatal in a relatively short period of time, although some
sufferers had survived up to five years after diagnosis. If anything, the movie
conservatively described the woeful lot of AIDS sufferers when all that was
apparent to the public was the tip of the iceberg. The epidemic, of course,
crossed all lines of sexual orientation, race and sex. But hindsight is 20/20.
Of course, these days AIDS is being detected early and treated effectively
(albeit with extremely expensive drug protocols). Persons who seroconvert and
start and maintain a treatment regimen have a reasonable expectation to live
indefinitely if they present with no other significant health issues.

But back to the issue of lackluster reviews. If anything, the movie's
run-time is a bit on the long side. Much had been cut out for reasons of time; a
scene featuring actors Banderas and Hanks in bed was deleted (but is included in
the DVD version of the film) perhaps because the focus of the film is AIDS-phobia
and not homosexuality. The 1982 film "Making Love" featuring Harry
Hamlin and Michael Ontkean already crossed that line.

Mountains of progress have been made with regard to AIDS-related
discrimination. However, it doesn't mean that it'll go away completely any time
soon. That's why today's youth ought perhaps to see "Philadelphia." Sure, they
may find the mores of 1993 antiquated compared to the much more open and
accepting climate of today. Additionally, what's really important about the film
is that, but for a costume party (which features the late Quentin Crisp, darling
of the campy gay set, as one of Beckett's friends), it successfully distances
itself from clichéd stereotypes of gays and paints
a more realistic picture.

One must ready one's self for an experience
which will at once anger and sadden. Suffice it to say, despite a token silver
lining, the climax and resolution of the movie, combined with the elegant
minimalism of Bruce Springsteen's "The Streets of Philadelphia" will leave many
viewers weeping openly.

As a work of art, the star-power cast combine
with elegant cinematography to create an absorbing, realistic and often
dark/bleak mood which at times verges on the surreal without becoming
inappropriately so. The sublime musical selections, as well as soundtrack
composer Howard Shore's haunting musical cues round out the moving experience.

For Survivors of the Early 1980s

This movie also gives an important glimpse of
what life was like when AIDS was just emerging as a gay health crisis. Back when
friends and co-workers became sick, none of us knew what was happening. All we
knew was that to attend a funeral a month was not, for many, an exaggeration, if
one's career and/or social life involved interacting with the gay community. Worse, with no awareness of preventative measures,
more and more people were becoming infected each day. I recall terrified gay
co-workers who, as soon as testing became available, began getting tested nearly
every week, damn the expense. They wanted to know if they should continue saving
for retirement or spend it on the cruise they always wanted to take.

Why re-visit such a horrible time? Well, perhaps it's good to use it as a
benchmark to allow us to a bit of hope by way of the awareness of how far we've come. Those who engaged in
risky behaviors and came away without contracting the disease should see the
movie (even a second or third time) as a reminder of how, in a way, the
hedonism of the 1970s ended. And thank their lucky stars, or God, or whatever.

Notes on the Movie Music

This review was triggered by a purchase of a used copy of the soundtrack
album, after having lost the first purchase. Artistic star-power was not spared
when selecting the music for the film. Seven out of the nine songs were nice
when they came out (the Spin Doctors' cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen The Rain"
is a notable effort). Maria Callas is heard singing a black aria from a
relatively obscure opera by Umberto Giordano. The two odes to the City of
Brotherly Love are the primary reason I replaced this album in my collection.

Music reviewers rate Neil Young's theme music from this movie as more
touching than Bruce Springsteen'sOscar-Winning
hit "Streets of Philadelphia." Young's lyrics evoke emotion due to their
complexity. Springsteen brilliantly utilizes a minimalist approach with a
melody that's funereal but infectious. No guitars, harmonica nor saxophone
backup are present. Springsteen utilizes instead a carefully-chosen chord
progression performed using a synth sound which evokes a
cool-sounding church organ, a vocal chorus which sounds ironically carefree, and
a backbeat done on two drums, one of them a snare.

Why one reviewer thought Springsteen wasn't merely addressing the topic of Springsteen's included homelessness,
it's hard if one pays attention to the lyrics to see the point. Suffice it to
say, Springsteen's sotto voce delivery of the carefully chosen lyrics is
haunting and memorable. It's a delight to hear "The Boss" deliver a song which
shamelessly displays his soft side.

SOUNDTRACK ALBUM TRACK LISTING:

"Streets of Philadelphia" by Bruce Springsteen (Performed by the
Composer)

"Lovetown " Peter Gabriel

"It's in Your Eyes" Pauletta Washington

"Ibo Lele (Dreams Come True)" RAM

"Please Send Me Someone to Love" Sade

"Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" Spin Doctors

"I Don't Wanna Talk About It" Indigo Girls

"La Mamma Morta" Maria Callas

"Philadelphia" by Neil Young (Performed by the Composer)

"Precedent" by Howard Shore (Soundtrack Orchestra)

UPDATE: Comments from readers echo an important impression of the film which the original reviews mentioned. There's a feeling that, although the film was released about five years too late, the producers and director are shouting, "Hooray for me for having the courage to do a controversial project like this!" Research is still pending regarding whether or not members of the cast, crew and production staff were gay and/or were HIV-positive or full-blown AIDS. Stay tuned.

Revelation 1:10-11 (KJV) "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, / Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea."

Revelation 3:7 (KJV) "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;"

Philadelphia literally means "brotherly love" in Greek; it is named after its founder, Attalus II Philadelphus. William Penn apparently named Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as he did because of this original meaning, and not specifically because the name was mentioned in the Bible.